1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of bedding, and to the particular field of pillows.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A full and restful sleep period has been proven to be necessary for people to have a productive wake period. This has been proven again and again in clinical tests for both adults and children. This is especially necessary for students and anyone who is required to execute exacting work. However, due to an ever-increasing work load, many people do not have a luxury of completing the necessary sleep period in an uninterrupted manner. These people often simply miss out on the required sleep. Over time, this can be harmful both of the person""s health and of their productivity.
Many people have to complete their sleep period in an environment that may include sleep-distracting events. These events include noise, light and the like. Therefore, a sleep period can be interrupted which may exacerbate the already problematic situation of a shortened sleep period. This is especially troublesome for people who must sleep during the day when noise and light are likely to occur.
Most people use a pillow during sleep. However, prior known pillows generally have no provision for assisting a person""s sleep by insulating that person from sleep-distracting events such as noise and light.
Therefore, there is a need for a pillow that can be used to insulate the hearing of a user from distractions that can interfere with sleep.
Many pillows are simply elements that support a user""s head during use. While this is acceptable for many situations, to take full advantage of a sleep period, all items should be designed for the most efficient contribution to the user""s sleep period. This requires support of the fullest possible amount of the user""s body during the sleep period.
Therefore, there is a need for a pillow that can be used to support a user""s head and neck during use.
Still further, a user often tosses and turns during sleep. This may cause the user to move his or her head from the pillow, which is not desirable. Or it may require the user to get used to keeping their head on a pillow which may, on some level, distract the user""s sleep. Still further, some sleep periods do not permit use of a standard pillow due to size and or space constraints. A common example of this is the sleeper trying to sleep while on an airplane or in an automobile. Such sleepers generally try to rest their heads on their arms or the like. This can be uncomfortable and is not as efficient as possible.
Therefore, there is a need for a pillow that is comfortable and can be worn by a user.
Many young children require naps. Often it is difficult to persuade such children to go to sleep. Therefore, anything that can be conducive to persuading a young child to sleep will be helpful.
Therefore, there is a need for a pillow that can be enticing to small children.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a pillow that can be used to insulate the hearing of a user from distractions that can interfere with sleep.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow that is comfortable and can be worn by a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow that can be used to support a user""s head and neck during use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow that can be enticing to small children.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pillow that can be used to insulate the hearing and sight of a user from distractions that can interfere with sleep.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a pillow that can be worn in the manner of a helmet and which comprises a head-encircling portion having an outer layer and an inner layer, with the inner layer including a cotton-like material and which includes a portion thereof that covers the wearer""s ears in a manner that reduces the amount of noise reaching the user""s ears. The pillow further includes a neck-encircling section which completely encircles a user""s neck when the head-encircling portion is worn by the user, a face-exposing section defined in the head-encircling portion, an eye-covering portion which is hingeably attached to the head-encircling portion adjacent to the face-exposing portion and which is movable between a first position covering the user""s eyes and a second position uncovering the user""s eyes when the head-encircling portion is worn by the user. A neck-supporting portion is releasably attached to the head-encircling portion when the neck-supporting portion is worn. The neck-supporting portion includes a fastener which engages a fastener on the head-encircling portion when the neck-supporting portion is worn. The neck-supporting portion also includes an outer layer, an inner layer of cotton material, and two spaced apart ends.
The pillow is worn in the manner of a helmet, but acts as a pillow by supporting the user""s head and neck. The pillow embodying the present invention also reduces the amount of noise that reaches the wearer as well as the amount of light that reaches the wearer. In this manner, the pillow embodying the present invention not only acts as a pillow, it also acts to reduce the sensory noises and lights that may interfere with the user""s normal sleep. The user can wear this pillow any time and any where so the user can obtain a restful sleep at any time. There is no need for the user to contort himself or herself in order to block out noise or light and thus a pleasant and restful sleep can be obtained.
It is also noted that while the pillow of the present invention can be used for enhancing a person""s sleep, it can also be used if a person simply wants some quiet time, such as for meditation or the like. It can also be used to make a person who has undergone some treatment, such as by a chiropractor or the like, more comfortable. These, and other uses of the pillow embodying the present invention as will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the teaching of the present disclosure are also contemplated as falling within the scope of this disclosure.
One form of the pillow embodying the present invention includes decorative elements that might appeal to a child. This will encourage children, especially young children, to go to sleep. This will assist an adult in persuading a child to take their nap or to go to bed on time.